Page 52 - Photosynthesis: The Green Miracle
P. 52
Adnan Oktar
from the cold region in the leaf to the warmer region. In this way, oxygen
is drawn towards the inside of the plant.
This process is known as thermo-osmosis. The greater the temperature
differential, the more gas is absorbed into the leaf. For example, the hi-
ghest level has been measured in the Amazonian lily at 30 liters (8 gallons)
of gas an hour.
Thermo-osmosis is based on a physical law known as Knudsen diffu-
sion. Under normal conditions, the gasses in two separate sections will
pass freely through a porous barrier. However, small pores less than 1 mi-
On close inspection, leaves dis-
play minute pores (right). When
the temperature in the leaf rises
above 1 or 2 degrees Centigrade,
the pores open and gasses begin
flowing from the colder region in
the leaf to the warmer region.
Oxygen is thus taken inside the
plant. The highest rate has been
measured in the Amazon lily (be-
low left), at 30 liters (8 gallons)
of gas an hour. Pore
(stoma)
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